Baby Preparations
by tinylexie
Summary: Lucius and Narcissa prepare for the birth of their first child. Side story to "The Lost Baby." Part of the Dead Babies series.


**Author's Note****: I decided to make this separate from "The Lost Baby," as this is fluff (and "The Lost Baby" is an angst story). I just wanted to give Lucius and Narcissa some happy moments as they prepare for the birth of their first child. This, however, is a companion piece to "The Lost Baby;" and it takes place during the same time period.  
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**Additional Author's Note: I hope that Lucius and Narcissa, especially Lucius, are not too OCC in this chapter. It's just that I figured that planning for a baby would be enough to make even someone like Lucius a little nervous. Besides, he is still a young man here; he's not fully confident yet. I really hope, though, that he isn't too OCC.**

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><p>"Do you think the crib would look better here or over there?" Narcissa asked her husband.<p>

"Um, wherever you want to put it is just fine with me," Lucius answered in a very unsure voice.

"But I want to know what _you_ think," Narcissa pouted.

Lucius was at a complete loss for words. Usually, he liked planning and organizing things. But this was a nursery they were talking about, and nurseries did not fall under any of his areas of expertise.

"I know how much you like planning and organizing things," Narcissa remarked, as if reading her husband's thoughts, "and I thought it would be fun to do the nursery together."

"It is fun," Lucius agreed quickly. "It's just that I, well, I, um, I just don't know what I'm doing. I don't know where would be the best area to place things for a baby." A panicked expression crossed Lucius's face. "I'm sorry, Narcissa, but I'm not ready for any of this. I can't be a father. I'm sorry. I just can't be a father. I don't know what I'm doing at all."

Narcissa laughed as she walked over to her husband and gently took his hands in her own. "It's all right, Lucius," she said soothingly. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. It's just that I know you want to be involved."

"Of course I want to involved," Lucius responded. "You and our baby mean more to me than anything else in this world, and I want to be a good husband and a good father. I just really need your help. I'm completely hopeless at things like this. I'm sorry."

"Calm down, Lucius," Narcissa smiled. "We still have many months before the baby is due to arrive. We still have more than enough time to prepare. And don't worry, I already have many ideas on how I want this room to look. Plus, I already have some experience with babies. I often had to babysit Sirius and Regulus when I was younger, and I was able to handle that just fine. Sirius was a brat, mind you, but Regulus was just wonderful. We're in this together, Lucius. There's nothing to worry about. I'm here for you, just like you're here for me."

"So, this means you're going to be the one who decides where everything in this room goes, right?" Lucius asked, somehow managing to keep his voice from sounding too pleading.

"If that's all right with you," Narcissa laughed.

"Of course it's all right with me. You're so wonderful, Narcissa. You really are. But don't worry, I'm not going to make you do everything by yourself. I want to be involved. I really do. So, tell me what I can do."

Narcissa laughed. "Well," she said, "you can come with me when I go to Diagon Alley later to look for some baby clothes."

"Oh, great, clothes shopping," Lucius complained.

Narcissa laughed again. "I just want to make sure that you're happy with the clothes. Besides, you have such a wonderful sense for fashion. Everyone else could take a tip or two from you on how to dress properly."

"Ah," Lucius smirked, "you're actually using the 'stroking the ego' approach on me."

"Well, if it works," Narcissa smiled.

"It does work," Lucius admitted with some reluctance. "All right, I'll go with you. Now I'm finally starting to realize why the Sorting Hat placed you in Slytherin."

Narcissa laughed. "Do you mind if I brighten this room up a bit? It's so dark in here."

"Well, if you don't mind," Lucius replied, "I would prefer this room to be green and silver."

"You're already trying to make our baby a little Slytherin," Narcissa said in mock outrage.

"Do you object to that?" Lucius asked teasingly.

"Not at all," Narcissa laughed. She then turned serious. "What about blue and pink, though?"

"What about them?" Lucius asked with some confusion. "I thought I've already told you that I don't mind if the baby is a boy or a girl."

"You did," Narcissa admitted. "It's just that I know we need a boy to carry on the Malfoy name to the next generation."

"Where is this coming from, Narcissa? We've already talked about this. If we have a girl, who cares. I would love her just as much as I would love a boy. We can always try again for a boy. Besides, I thought you wanted to have more than one child anyways."

"I do," Narcissa said softly. "It's just that I know we have a duty as Purebloods, and that comes before everything else."

"My father has been bothering you, hasn't he?" Lucius growled, a dangerous gleam suddenly in his eyes. He turned, as if to leave.

Narcissa quickly grabbed Lucius's arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Please," Narcissa begged, "don't get in an argument with your father over this. Just forget it. I should not have said anything."

"No, Narcissa," Lucius spoke, "if something bothers you, then it bothers me as well. And I have warned my father to leave you alone."

"I just want a hex-free day for once," Narcissa cried.

Lucius's face immediately softened. "I'm sorry, Narcissa," he said softly. "You deserve better than this. This is your home now, and I want you to feel comfortable here. I'll let it go, this time. But if my father bothers you again, I will have a talk with him. You are my wife, and therefore this manor's mistress. My father _will_ respect you if he wants to remain living here."

"Thank you, Lucius," Narcissa replied. "But what if our baby is a girl? Will that truly be all right with you?"

"Of course it will be all right with me. In fact, a part of me is actually hoping that the baby will be a girl. There's just something special about having a little girl. A little boy is just not the same. Not that I would care if the baby turns out to be a boy, of course. It's just that I want you to know that I will love our child no matter what."

"Maybe one day we'll have both," Narcissa smiled, "a boy and girl."

"That sounds perfect to me," Lucius smiled back, kissing Narcissa on her lips.

"Stop distracting me like that, Lucius Malfoy," Narcissa laughed, pulling away from her husband. "I really need to get back to fixing up this nursery."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Well, I don't know about that. As nice as you are to look at, you are quite the distraction."

"So, I'm a distraction now," Lucius pouted.

"Get out of here," Narcissa laughed. "I know you have other important things to attend to."

"None of those things are as important as you, Narcissa," Lucius said seriously. "I'm really sorry I haven't been spending much time with you lately. We haven't even had a honeymoon yet."

"That's all right," Narcissa replied. "I know that you are busy at the Ministry, and I also know that you have a duty to the Dark Lord. You are fighting to make our world a better place for us Purebloods, and that should always come before decorating a nursery."

"I will talk with the Dark Lord," Lucius spoke. "He has to understand that I also have duties as a husband and a future father. Besides, I have been very pleasing to him lately. Surely he can give me a few favors in return. I really want to have at least a little honeymoon with you, Narcissa."

"Don't push him, Lucius," Narcissa warned. "He is dangerous, and I don't want you making him angry. I don't want him hurting you. It is true, I would prefer if you weren't out there fighting and risking your life, but we have already talked about this. I understand that you have a duty, and I understand that duty sometimes will have to come before me and the baby. And I accept that. I am a Pureblood, after all, just like you are. I know that you love me and our little boy or girl, and that's enough for me. I know that's more than what most young Pureblood women have."

"You truly are wonderful, Narcissa," Lucius replied. "I don't know what I would do without you. But I'm really not needed anywhere else, at least not at this moment. I can stay here with you and help out with the nursery. I do like planning and organizing, after all."

Before he knew what he doing, however, Lucius had grabbed Narcissa, a suggestive look on his face.

Narcissa merely grinned. Decorating the nursery could wait for a while. They still had months to plan, after all.


End file.
